I love shooting senior images. 
So much personality to capture, so much of the world is there for them to conquer.
Chelsea was no exception.  Graduating a year early, no less, to begin her quest to live out her dreams.

We froze.  Luckily, a good friend let us use his commercial building to shoot in, although by the end it seemed to be warmer outside than in.

Chelsea was a rockstar, braving the cold concrete with her sometimes bare feet and a black dress. 
She shined.

Blessings
to you Chelsea.

Please note this is a difficult video to watch, but please watch it:
DRC VIDEO

This has been labeled the "season" of giving.
While this is something that can actually happen year round, I'm glad we have an entire season dedicated to giving, and thus, raise awareness for the act itself.

Speaking of awareness…  Lauren has been in contact with a pastor we met in Uganda a few years ago.
Robert will often leave his supportive family behind to travel East Africa to minister to the people and do his best to get aid where it's most needed.
Not long ago, Robert had a request of us.  While traveling in Southern Sudan, he came across a group of displaced people, namely women and children, who have been caught in the cross fire of this war torn region.
Robert found that these women were particularly good with crafts and excelled at necklaces making.
Robert had an idea and requested that, if he could get them to Lauren, she sell the necklaces for the women.  The funds would then be wired back to Robert (the women don't have bank accounts) for him to withdrawal and deliver to the women.

The initial batch of necklaces was a huge success.  The funds were used to help provide food for the women and families of Southern Sudan and we knew that, should more be sent, Lauren could sell them. With the help of dedicated family and friends, Lauren has been able to raise nearly $7,000.00 in aid for the women and children of Sudan, roughly $2,000.00 of that recently.

We certainly are starting to understand the meaning of hardship is in this country, although not nearly to the extent some in Africa have had to bare.  It's my hope that this holiday season, you may feel inclined to purchase a necklace that can provide a sustainable income for the women of Southern Sudan.
The necklaces are beautiful, handmade, relatively inexpensive and carry a meaning and story far beyond many other gifts.

As we hope to expand the necklace offerings and ways in which they are purchased, we're completely satisfied with our home phone ringing off the hook should you like to purchase one.  You can also visit the Kilns for a sampling.

Please remember to love one another, despite the "season" and know that your love need not stop at the border, God's doesn't

You can contact Lauren at 541.330.1928.
Blessings to you,
–Benjamin

I was excited to get an email from an old friend who's daughter needed her senior pictures done.  I was really excited to hear she would be dressed like a fairy.
Halorie was simply enchanting.

Jesse is a rockstar, no surprise there, eh? 
He spends a lot of his time hangin' out at Mt. View High School. 
(Here's a little shout out to the MVH crew who check this blog regularly!)

While shooting Jesse's senior pictures, we blasted a few family portrait images as well.
What an absolutely kind and blessed family Jess has.

Here's a few from the shoot…

I love shooting for Bend Living. 
Designer, Beaver Fan and golf pro, Brian Page, came up with a great concept for an article he asked me to shoot. 
Don't forget to get the latest issue of BL…

I love handing my images off to a great designer.
Brand Navigation in Sisters, Oregon is headed by Bill Chiaravalle who is the Principal and Creative Director.   Bill is a good friend of mine and also sits on the board for our media NPO, Emote360.  Bill literally wrote the book on branding and his crew consists of a team of design rockstars.  (They also have the cleanest desks I've ever seen, how do they do it???)  Anyway…

I jumped at the chance to work on a commercial project for Lake Creek Lodge with them.  I was in Bill's office the other day and he showed me a brochure he and the team put together for the folks at the Lodge, who are selling a portion of their cabins.  Here's a few images:

Bill and the BrandNav crew are currently re-designing the Lake Creek Lodge website and, no doubt, it will look fantastic.  Don't forget to visit Lake Creek Lodge, it's stunning in any season.

Andrea has a dream. 
Providing a truly positive, custom experience for brides looking for just the right dress for their wedding day.

This past Saturday, Andrea was kind enough to allow us one of her gowns to shoot around the Tower Theatre during the "Tower As You've Never Seen It Before" wedding expo.

Please visit Andrea on her blog.  She'll also be introducing a new website in the near future.
She's a rockstar!  Here are a few images…

“A wise and frugal government … shall restrain men from injuring one
another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits
of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor
the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
-Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.”
-Benjamin Franklin

We've known Erica for a long time and were honored to shoot her wedding to the mystery man this past weekend.  We flew, we landed, we met mystery man and promptly learned that, without doubt, God has put the two of them together.
The story is so amazing, in fact, I hope to tell you someday.  For now, I'll show some images.  A lot of images.

This image is an ode to my Rockstar friend and Canadian Photog of the year, Tracey Harper.   
We put Erica to the test in her (amazing) dress.  If I had to guess, I'd say her legs could travel no more than three inches from each other at various points… She passed the test, but we had to "place" her on the bed and pull her off…  On a side note, my second so far, I was a bit surprised to see my sweet new shirt match, exactly, the fabric and design of Erica's dress.  What can I say, I love themes…

Lauren has such a wonderful eye.  She caught this moment of Erica who was shying away from the staircase which had guests at the top of it.  Erica might also be looking at my sweet shirt…

When you only have ten minutes to shoot the bride, go straight for the bar.  The "glow" had a strictly enforced dress code.  Obviously, they weren't going to kick the bride out and since I matched her they couldn't say anything to me.  Lauren always passes. 

Erica rockin' the wall…

In the lobby of the Hilton at Marina Del Rey…

The mystery man, Randy.  I can't wait to hang with this guy some more.
Here he is having a little prayer time before the ceremony…

This is officially the first wedding we've shot on top of a roof, on the helicopter pad.

So, during the day I found myself wondering, "why do they call this bar, "glow?"
Now I know…

Some black and white love…

And we finish with dessert…

Front page of MSNBC.com read here.

A dear friend of ours was shocked when she found her previous husband was brutally attacked while traveling in South America.  You can read about it here.

Britt was repeatedly stabbed, while his fiance was also attacked.  Medical costs are accumulating.  If you feel lead, please take a moment to get involved and help.

You can do so here.  There are also accounts set up at the Bank of The Cascades and Bank of America.
Thanks!
–B

We had a blast with a Senior from Medford this past week.  Lexi is an aspiring (up and coming) photographer who wants to use her gifts to help change the world.  What a rockstar!
You'll no doubt be hearing her name in the future.
Here are a few from the session…